


A decision that changes everything

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-06 23:04:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14067513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: Alaric learns of Isobel’s plans and makes a decision that will change not only his life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sucking Oysters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/160770) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> After reading Sucking Oysters by orphan_account this idea got stuck in my head. Took me quite some time to write this fic, though. Of course it’s a total AU.

Alaric stared at the screen in front of him without really seeing anything. He didn't need to. He had read those words so often during the last three days that he practically had them memorized. Had read them first with a mixture of disbelief and horror, then with a sense of trepidation and finally resignation. For three days he had been mulling the words over in his head. Had tried to come to terms with the truth he no longer could deny. He had considered every possible way he could react to his new-found knowledge. And he had made a life altering decision.

A part of him almost regretted ever reading those pages. A part of him wondered how it could get this far. He didn't really recognize himself anymore. A year ago he wouldn't have dreamed of violating his wife's privacy like this. But Isobel had changed over the last six months. She had become strange, nervous and distant. Had evaded his questions, always using her work as an excuse, instead of really answering. Finally done with being patient he had started snooping through her stuff, but hadn't really found anything helpful. At least nothing that would clue him in to his wife's erratic behavior.

Until his friend Paul had asked him a few days ago to watch his son Justin for a few hours. Alaric had readily agreed and taken the 14-year-old home with him, not knowing that Justin had overheard him talking to Paul earlier. Had heard him confessing about snooping in Isobel's stuff. Once they reached the apartment, Justin had asked why Ric didn't try his wife's computer, since every sane person would keep their information hidden there nowadays. He had even cheekily offered to hack the password for Alaric.

And Alaric, despite his initial reservations, had agreed in the end. Had told himself that it was simply fate. Because Isobel had gone to visit her parents for a few days, leaving her laptop at home for once. The opportunity was just too good to pass up. And he only did it for her, he reasoned. Because he couldn't help her, if he didn't know what her problem was. At least that was what he tried to tell himself, to justify his actions. 

Justin had demanded a hundred bucks as payment for his services and to keep his mouth shut. Alaric had paid and the boy had went to work, unlocking the laptop only minutes later. Finding the password was easy, he claimed, writing it down. Mystic Falls.

Alaric had heard of Mystic Falls. It was a small town in Virginia. Isobel had been doing research there. And she had also told him that she'd spent some time there in her youth. Remembering those words, Alaric couldn't help but wonder if her secret was some old love from her past. He had been considering that she might be cheating on him for a while now. Because why else would she be so strange and distant? What else could she be keeping from him?

After Paul had picked Justin up, the boy waving cheekily goodbye, telling him to have fun, Alaric had started rooting through the laptop. It hadn't taken him long to find this document. Some sort of diary, giving a detailed report about the things his wife had been doing for the last six month. And Isobel really did mention an old love. Some guy named John. But she wasn't really having an affair. No, the ugly truth was a lot more complicated and horrible than Alaric could ever have guessed.

He had always viewed his wife's research rather skeptically. Had laughed and joked about her stories of vampires and never understood why she reacted so badly to his jokes. Why she took this so seriously. Why she was so obsessed with all those legends and stories. He still hadn't understood while he read page upon page about her research. When Isobel wrote that John would help her find a real vampire, he had chuckled and decided that this John had to be a nutcase.

The laughter had soon died in his throat as he kept on reading. Because John had kept his word and Isobel had met a vampire. A vampire named Damon Salvatore. She had begged said vampire to turn her, assuring she would do anything. And she had written a detailed description of the things he had made her do. At first Alaric was sure that Damon Salvatore was just a sick, sadistic bastard, who took advantage of his poor, unstable wife's delusions. But when he read the text again and again he slowly started to believe. He started to understand. Until he wondered how he could've been so blind.

Because vampires were real. Isobel had found one and he had promised to turn her. She would leave Alaric. Just disappear from his life, without explaining anything or even saying goodbye. She had it all planned out. How she would turn into a vampire and simply take off. That was the reason for her visiting her parents. She wanted to see them one last time, before starting her new life, leaving everything behind. Leaving Alaric behind.

The sound of the front-door closing with a soft click shook him from his thoughts. He looked away from the screen, but remained sitting where he was, waiting patiently for Isobel to round the corner. When she spied him she smiled sadly, like she often did lately. He wondered if she regretted her plans to leave him. If it was a difficult decision for her.

She leaned down to greet him with a kiss, but stopped short, staring at the open laptop with wide eyes.   
"Alaric, what...?" she gasped in shock, giving him an accusing look. 

He ignored it. She had no right to be mad at him. He on the other hand had every right to be angry with her.   
"Would you have told me?" he asked harshly. "Or were really going to leave, without even saying goodbye?" 

She bit her lip, gave him a guilty look. It was all the answer he needed. "You never believed me." she shot back defiantly. "You laughed about me. And I knew, if I told you the truth, you would only laugh again."

"But I'm not laughing now. I believe you." Alaric assured.   
Isobel gave him a doubtful look. "You believe it? All of it?" she prodded, gesturing to the laptop. 

He swallowed hard. Nodded silently. They stared at each other, neither saying a word for what felt like hours.   
"You really want this, don't you?" he finally whispered.   
"More than anything else in the world. Ric, I... I need this. I can't go on like this." she admitted in a choked whisper. 

Alaric wasn't surprised. He had always known that she was looking for something. That she didn't want a normal life. He hadn't known what it was she was looking for. But after reading her diary he had realized it. He knew how much she wanted to become a vampire. And that she was willing to give up everything to accomplish that goal. He on the other hand had always wanted Isobel. A life with her by his side, no matter what that life would look like. No matter the cost.

"Then let us do this together."   
Isobel seemed completely taken aback by his words. "Alaric..." she stammered, but he interrupted her.   
"I mean it, Is. If you need to become a vampire to be happy again, then I want it too. You're the only thing I care about. I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you. So let's do this and stay together. Forever."

She stared at him for a long time and he was starting to fear that he had already lost her. But then she suddenly hugged him. "Oh Alaric, this is great. I never thought that you would... It's going to be amazing, you'll see. We'll stay together for eternity. We'll travel the world and never change. You'll love it." she gushed, pulling back to smile at him. "We need to talk to Damon. I don't know if he'll agree to turn you as well. He's ... fickle, you could say. And he'll want some sort of payment." 

Alaric nodded. He had already guessed that, after reading about the things the vampire had made his wife do. But he was willing to do everything, as long as he didn't lose her. "Take me to him. I'll get him to agree somehow." he said with more conviction than he felt.

***

Alaric parked the car in front of a rather normal looking house and waited while Isobel got out and rang the doorbell. She had decided to talk to Damon Salvatore alone at first and that he should join them later. Ric watched as the door opened and she went inside. Nervously he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. A voice inside his head was shouting at him, asking if he'd completely lost his mind now. It sounded suspiciously like his father's voice. Another one, sounding a lot like his mother's voice, whispered that he had to follow his heart. And his heart belonged to Isobel. Always had, since their first, fateful meeting.

He flinched when she stepped out again, motioning for him to come over. With a rapidly beating heart he got out and walked towards the house. He didn't really know what he had expected a vampire to look like, but the man lounging in the doorway was certainly not what he'd been expecting. With his dark jeans and the black shirt half-undone to allow a tantalizing glimpse of pale skin he looked like something out of a fashion magazine, instead of a horror-novel. Blue eyes, that seemed to see into Ric's very soul, sinful lips and dark, slightly ruffled hair completed the look. Women must be all over him, the blond mused. Probably not only women.

The vampire eyed him critically, before turning to Isobel. "Go home, Lauren. Your husband and I are going to... have a little chat."   
Ric gave his wife a questioning look, but she only smiled, kissed his cheek and went back to the car. Damon motioned for Ric to enter.

The house looked nice and tidy, like it could belong to any human guy and Ric had to admit that all those vampire clichés were probably just that - clichés. He tried to ban every thought of haunted old townhouses and dark castles from his mind while he followed Damon. They stopped in the living room, where the vampire dropped gracefully onto the couch and gave him a searching look. "So you want to become a vampire?" he asked conversationally, like they were discussing Ric's job. 

"Yes, I do."  
"Why?" Damon wanted to know, giving him a scary intense look that had Alaric fidgeting nervously. 

He supposed that there was a right answer to this question, but he had no idea what it might be. So he stuck to the truth. "Because of Isobel. I don't want to lose her."   
Damon regarded him with raised eyebrows. "So her real name is Isobel? And what's yours?" 

Only now did Alaric realize that his wife had obviously told the vampire her name was Lauren. She hadn't written that down in her diary. "Alaric." he answered automatically.

"Well, that's definitely your real name. No-one would call himself that if he could help it." Damon commented with a snort, causing Ric to explain that he had a very dead ancestor to thank for his name. The vampire didn't seem interested in this particular detail. "So you only want to become a vampire for her?" he prodded instead. 

"Yes, I.... I love her. More than my life. I would do anything for her. I want her by my side forever. No matter the cost." Alaric admitted, feeling a little foolish and totally out of depth.

Damon regarded him thoughtfully. For a moment his expression seemed to soften. "It will cost you." he muttered then and the moment was over. His smirk was back. "I guess you know how your wife paid me?" 

Ric nodded hesitantly. He had read all about it. More than once, actually. "With blood and sex." he answered quietly. 

Damon's smirk widened. He got up, stalking closer. He moved graceful, like a panther or some other predator and Alaric slowly came to realize that he was a lot more dangerous than he appeared. "And are you willing to pay the same price?"

The question gave Alaric pause. He had expected Damon to demand his blood. Had been ready for it. But the rest? Okay, he had some experience with other men. When he'd first started college he had experimented a bit. But that was a long time ago and he doubted the vampire would be willing to bottom. 

"No matter the cost." Damon mocked him with his own words.   
Alaric bit back a nasty retort and nodded. "Whatever you ask of me."

The vampire grinned, his eyes flashing dangerously and for a moment Alaric wondered what he was getting into. He felt the overwhelming urge to get the hell out of here and run as far as he could. But he pushed the thought aside as best as he could and followed Damon. 

They entered a dimly lit bedroom and Ric's heart started racing again. Damon stopped next to the bed and ordered: "Strip." Hesitantly the blond did as told, taking off his clothes, putting them on a nearby chair. Once naked he had to fight the urge to cover himself with something.

Damon stared at him hungrily, his eyes raking over Alaric's naked body slowly, heightening his nervousness. "Not bad. And now undress me." Alaric took a deep breath. With trembling fingers he started unbuttoning the vampire's shirt the rest of the way. When he was about to push it off his shoulders, Damon surprised him, by grabbing his neck and pulling him into a heated kiss. 

Ric stiffened at first, but returned the kiss eventually, allowing Damon to plunder his mouth. The vampire knew how to kiss, he had to give him that. And he really was attractive. 

"Finally. I was starting to think I'd have to compel you to get you to relax." the vampire muttered, once their lips had parted.

Alaric chuckled, without really knowing what was so funny. The whole situation was totally weird. But he was starting to realize that this would be a lot easier if he just went with it. Damon was hot, so why shouldn't he try to enjoy it as much as possible? Isobel certainly hadn't had any qualms about cheating on him.

Decision made he stepped behind the vampire, sliding the shirt off his shoulders and on impulse started placing kisses along his neck. Damon murmured in appreciation, cocking his head to the side to give him more room.   
"Initiative. I like that." he commented. 

Alaric let his lips drift over Damon's shoulder blades, while his hands roamed the vampire's chest, moving lower until he reached the hem of his jeans. Without hesitation he opened the buttons, pulling the jeans down. He let go of Damon for a moment, went down on his knees in front of him to help him out of his shoes and pull the jeans all the way off.

His cheeks flushed when he saw the noticeable bulge in Damon's tight black boxer-briefs and he swallowed hard. Pausing only slightly he finally pulled the last garment off, trying not to stare at the vampire's erection as it sprang free. When he tried to get up, Damon stopped him with a strong hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. 

"Since you're already down there you should make the most of the position." he drawled, fisting a hand in Alaric's hair, pushing him towards his crotch. It had been a long time since Alaric last did that, but he was surprised to find that he didn't dread the thought. Far from it in fact.

He grabbed Damon's hips with both hands, while he slowly slid his mouth over the hard shaft. After overcoming the first hesitation, memory kicked in quickly and he started bobbing up and down faster, using his tongue to trace the vein on the underside, growing bolder by the second and even lightly scraping his teeth along the length. Damon's breathy moans spurred him on, made him forget everything else. 

Until the vampire suddenly muttered: "Fuck, you're way better at it than your wife."   
Alaric stiffened, suddenly remembering all too clearly what had brought him here.

Damon seemed to sense this, because he pushed him off. Alaric shakily got to his feet, was almost unable to react when the vampire pulled him into another heated kiss. His arms wrapped around Damon's back of their own volition, pulling him closer. Alaric moaned into the kiss, rubbing himself against Damon, all too aware of the erection he was pressing against the vampire's thigh.

Seconds later he found himself lying on the bed. Damon was suddenly straddling him, kissing him, nipping at his neck. Ric's lust-addled brain could hardly keep up. He gasped, tried to pull the vampire closer, but he was already pulling back, sitting up. 

"Turn around." 

Alaric froze and only reluctantly allowed Damon to push him down onto his belly. His heart started beating faster and he was trembling. 

"That wasn't the first time you've blown someone." It was more of a statement than a question, but the blond nodded anyways. He flinched when Damon stroked his back, down to his ass. "But this is the first time for you." he guessed.   
"First time... being on the bottom, yes." Alaric admitted quietly, making the vampire chuckle.

Ric heard a bottle being opened and then Damon was on him, leaning over him to whisper in his ear. "Relax. I won't hurt you too much."   
Without warning he pushed two fingers into Alaric, who stiffened in response. He felt helpless and all too vulnerable. Wanted nothing more than to get away. But he had agreed to this, he reminded himself. And up until now it had been a lot more pleasant than expected. So he forced himself to hold still and let Damon get on with things.

After a few moments it even started feeling good. Really good. It hurt when Damon finally entered him. The vampire wasn't gentle and didn't give him time to adjust. But when he started moving inside of him, hitting his prostate with every thrust, the pain was quickly forgotten. Alaric pushed back against him, not even trying to muffle his groans. He wrapped one hand around his own erection and started stroking it. Closing his eyes he let go completely and gave himself over to ecstasy, until a sudden, sharp pain in his neck made him cry out and tumble over the cliff.

Groggily he opened his eyes, wondering if he had actually blacked out for a moment. Damon was just pulling out of him. His neck throbbed painfully and something wet and warm trickled down his chest. His blood, he realized a second later. Damon had bitten him. Alaric rolled onto his back, panting and out of breath. His heart-beat was still erratic. 

The vampire watched him with a strange expression. Suddenly his eyes turned black, dark capillaries appeared beneath them and Ric could see his fangs sliding into place. But Damon didn't attack him, like he feared. Instead he bit into his own lip, leaning down to kiss him. Ric responded automatically, returning the kiss, sucking on Damon's lip, which healed within seconds.

The wound on his neck was itching strangely and when he reached a hand up he felt the skin knitting shut. Vaguely he remembered reading something about vampire blood having healing qualities. But he didn't dare to ask why Damon was doing this for him. Maybe he only wanted to hide all traces. He had also healed Isobel, once he'd been done with her. On the other hand he had fed from Isobel a lot more often. And on various parts of her body.

For a moment the vampire kept staring at him. Then he slid beneath the covers, turning his back on Alaric. "You can leave now. I'll see you in three days. If you still want me to turn you by then." 

Hesitantly the blond got up and dressed. Looking back at the bed he found that Damon had closed his eyes and appeared to be sleeping. Or at least pretending to sleep. Not knowing what to say he left the house quietly.

***

Three days later Alaric was walking around the apartment nervously, sneaking glances at Isobel, who was sitting at her laptop without really doing anything, while they both waited for Damon. Both of them had packed a few things and loaded them into the car. Their neighbor Rene had a spare key and had promised to make sure everything was all right. 

Upon Alaric's insistence they had told their colleagues and friends that they would go to Europe for a year, so Isobel could do some more research there. Her plan had been to simply disappear without so much as a goodbye or an explanation, but Ric had insisted that they couldn't just leave their family and friends like that. He also secretly hoped they'd be able to return after a year and take up their life again, as best as possible. Damon was living among humans. Why shouldn't they be able to do the same?

Isobel hadn't asked what Damon had made him do and Ric was glad for that. He didn't want to think about that night anymore. Of course she wouldn't hold the fact that he had practically cheated on her against him. She had done the same after all. That wasn't what worried him about the whole thing. And it also wasn't the fact that he had slept with a guy. No, the thing that kept him awake at night was the fact that he had enjoyed it.

After marrying Isobel he had told himself that he was straight as an arrow and that his little trysts with guys had only been a phase. Everyone experimented in college, right? Didn't mean anything. But since his night with Damon he had to admit that he'd been lying to himself. That his interest in men had never really disappeared. And that worried him more than he liked to admit.

A knock at the door made both of them jump. It was time. There was no turning back now. Isobel jumped up and ran to open the door, asking Damon in. Again the vampire was dressed all in black. And he looked even better than Alaric remembered. 

"Did you change your mind?" he asked flippantly.   
Isobel shook her head. Assured him that she still wanted to become a vampire. More than anything. Damon gave Ric a questioning look and the blond nodded. He had made up his mind. No turning back.

"Alright, then let's get this over with." the vampire muttered. He bit down on his wrist and put it to Isobel's lips. Alaric watched with growing unease how she gulped down the blood. "Okay, enough. My turn, honey." Damon chided after a few moments. He spun her around, so that she was resting with her back against his chest. Brushing her hair aside he bit down on her neck roughly. Isobel gave a little pained squeal, but remained where she was.

Alaric felt like he couldn't breathe, but he was unable to take his eyes away from the gruesome scene. Damon drank deeply and hungrily, only pulling away once. He licked his lips and stared at Alaric with black eyes. The blond shuddered, causing the vampire to grin and go back to feeding on Isobel. She muttered something, fought his grip weakly and Alaric had to stop himself from rushing to her aid. Had to tell himself that she wanted this. She had chosen this. It seemed to take forever, until Damon finally dropped her dead body on the ground carelessly.

Ric took a step towards her, but the vampire blocked his way. Wordlessly he bit down on his wrist again, offering it to Alaric. Ric glanced at Isobel's lifeless body, then he pushed aside his lingering doubts, took the vampire's arm and forced himself to drink, until Damon pulled his arm free. Ric was expecting the vampire to bite him now. Tried to brace himself for the pain of those sharp fangs tearing through his flesh. But instead Damon reached out, caressing the back of his head almost gently. Alaric only felt a sharp tug and everything went black. Later he would learn that Damon had broken his neck.

***

Alaric sat upright with a start, gasping for air and looking around in panic. He was sitting on the floor of his living room, that much he noticed, but that didn't do much to comfort him. His heart was hammering like it wanted to escape his chest, his head was throbbing and he felt hungry like never before. 

"That was faster than I anticipated." a voice commented lightly.   
Ric jerked around and spied Damon lounging on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Instantly his memories flooded back.   
"Come here and say hello to Jessica." the vampire ordered. Only now did Alaric notice the girl sitting on a chair, staring off into space.

Hesitantly he got up and walked over to Damon, who turned to Jessica and ordered: "Give me your arm."   
She complied wordlessly, didn't even flinch when he ripped open her wrist with his sharp fangs. The smell of blood hit Ric's senses. His vision blurred and the hunger bacame nearly unbearable. 

"You need to feed to complete the transition." Damon explained, beckoning him closer.   
The blond took the offered wrist, hesitantly taking a sip, but letting go immediately. It tasted awful and wonderful at the same time. The feeling was indescribable. His gums ached as his fangs broke through for the first time.

Without really meaning to he grabbed the girls arm again, sinking his fangs deep into her wrist, swallowing greedily. This time it was better. So much better. It tasted heavenly. He felt himself getting stronger with every swallow. Felt how the hot, sweet blood nourished his body. When Damon pulled the girl away from him he growled in response. 

"Leave some for your wife. I won't go out to find another victim." 

The mention of Isobel helped to clear Ric's head a little. He stumbled away a few steps, still glancing at the blood trickling from the girl's wrist. The smell made his gums ache anew. His hunger wasn't quenched. He forced himself to look away, leaning heavily against the wall. 

"Is it always like this?"   
Damon got up and joined him. "You'll get used to it. You'll learn to control it. The first time is always the most intense, I guess." 

Alaric's eyes strayed to Damon's lips. He felt the sudden, intense urge to kiss the dark-haired vampire. To touch him. The guilt those feelings brought was just as intense.

"As a vampire all of your emotions are heightened. You'll get used to that as well." Damon explained, like he had read his thoughts. 

Ric took a step towards him, reaching for him without really meaning to. A gasp diverted his attention. Made him look towards Isobel, who was just sitting up, looking around in shock and fear. Alaric was instantly at her side, surprised about his new-found speed. He helped her up and lead her to the couch, watched with a mixture of horror and fascination how she fed on the girl as well. She drank until Jessica slumped in a heap and her heart, which the blond had heard beating all the while without really noticing, stopped.

"Alright, let's go. We've got much to do. Ric, take the body." Damon ordered.  
And Alaric suddenly realized that they had just killed a girl. He looked down at the body in shock. Let his eyes drift over the short, brown hair, the slutty make-up and those dead, unseeing eyes. She had been so young. Barely twenty, by the looks of it. And now she was dead. Because of them. 

"Could you safe your little break-down for later? Every vampire kills sooner or later. Get used to it." Damon ordered harshly.   
Still shocked and appalled at himself, Alaric picked up the dead girl. She still felt warm to the touch. Silently he followed Damon and Isobel to the waiting cars.

They drove out of the city and pushed the dead girl down a hill. Alaric was sure that the sound of her body hitting the rocks would haunt him forever. Just like the sight of her glassy, dead eyes. Jessica bounced off another rock and finally landed in some sort of dried up riverbed. Damon judged that she would be half-rotten by the time someone found her. He called the whole thing lesson number one: Hide your traces.

They continued their journey west, arriving at a house on the outskirts of town early in the morning, just before the sun rose. Damon unlocked the door and ushered them in. 

"Lesson number two: When you need a place to stay for a while, look for foreclosures in the area and pick the most expensive one. Then get the key and make yourself at home." 

Alaric was still battling his inner turmoil. Since neither Isobel nor Damon seemed to understand his guilt, he kept his thoughts to himself. He was a murderer now. A monster. Trying to shake the terror this realization brought, he looked around. The house was big and luxurious and probably cost a small fortune.   
"The bedroom's this way." Damon's voice cut through his musings.

He and Isobel followed the dark-haired vampire up the stairs to a cozy room that was dominated by a large bed. The curtains were closed, keeping out the sunlight. An important detail for Isobel and Ric, who couldn't go out in the sun like Damon. 

"Big enough for three, don't you think?" Damon mused, dropping down on the bed and giving the new vampires an expectant look.   
It took a moment until the penny dropped. Alaric was shocked. Mostly because the thought didn't disgust him as much as it should. Isobel only smiled, crawled into bed and allowed Damon to kiss her. Reluctantly Alaric followed her example, trying to tramp down his jealousy.

***

The three of them spent a little over a week at the house. Since Alaric and Isobel could only go outside when it was dark, they were practically locked up for most of the day. They spent quite a lot of time in bed, although no-one got much sleep. Alaric felt ready to rip something to shreds every time he sat in the living room, trying desperately not to listen to Isobel having sex with Damon in the bedroom upstairs. 

Still the guilt he felt whenever he had sex with Damon (who was actually very willing to bottom) was even worse. Or when they shared Isobel, like they had done on the first day. Neither Isobel nor Damon seemed to think much by it. The dark-haired vampire even made fun of Ric for being a prude and claimed that vampires had different rules.

When the sun set the training began. There was quite a lot to learn about life as a vampire. On the first night Damon taught them to compel people. It took Isobel a few tries until she managed it. Alaric on the other hand seemed a natural. It was almost too easy for him. Later they robbed a blood-bank and the older vampire explained that blood-bags were the best solution when you wanted to stay in one place for a while. If you did it right, no-one noticed anything and people wouldn't get suspicious. Alaric, still feeling guilty over the death of Jessica, preferred this option. Isobel on the other hand didn't seem happy.

She showed a lot more enthusiasm when Damon taught them to feed from humans. Alaric was reluctant to learn, still haunted by the girl. He would often lie awake and imagine her body rotting away in the riverbed, her family and friends wondering what had happened to her. The image helped him to control himself and stop drinking in time, although he too felt the urge to keep drinking until the heart of his victim stopped. 

And he hated himself for that urge. He had to be talked into feeding from a human and always kept strictly to lesson number seven: Snatch, eat, erase. His victims continued on their way with freshly compelled memories and hardly a scratch. Isobel killed two more girls and shrugged off Alaric's worries with the claim that she was still learning. Damon watched her with a strange expression, but when asked only insisted that every vampire had to decide his way of life for him- or herself.

It was a crazy time and Alaric was only slowly realizing what he had become. What it actually meant to be a vampire. He was shocked when he realized for the first time that he was technically dead. That he had really died. And would still live forever, with a little luck. When Damon found him brooding in the living-room one day, he expected the dark-haired vampire to make fun of him. Strangely enough he didn't. He showed surprising understanding and told Alaric that he hadn't really known what he was getting into either, when he'd been turned.

"I made the same decision you did. I turned for the woman I loved. Her name was Katherine and she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met." 

Hesitantly Alaric asked where she was now. "She's locked up in a magically sealed tomb." Damon explained and so Alaric heard about witches and what they were capable of for the first time. "I'm going to free Katherine. In two years the tomb can be opened. And then I'll get her back." 

Alaric hoped that everything would work out like he thought and that he'd be reunited with his Katherine soon. Because despite everything, Damon seemed an okay guy deep down.

That first talk was followed by more. While Isobel was spending hours working at her laptop, like she had done in the past, Alaric drank with Damon and learned more about his past. He was shocked to learn that Damon had been born 1840 and fascinated by the fact that he had fought in the civil war. He had read a lot about that time, but hearing the tale from someone who had actually been there was something he never even dreamed of. The older vampire on the other hand showed surprising interest in Alaric's difficult family history.

Finally Damon decided that they had learned all they needed to know and that it was time to part ways. The farewell was harder on Alaric then he'd imagined. Despite their first meeting he and Damon had become something akin to friends over the last few days. He had realized that the dark-haired vampire wasn't as evil and cold as he'd first believed. Somehow he felt strangely connected to him.

Isobel on the other hand couldn't wait to get away and start her new life. She kissed Damon goodbye, but looked strangely impassive doing so. She had already seemed distant in the past few days, seeking solitude more and more often. 

Alaric wasn't really sure how to behave, so in the end he pulled Damon into an overly manly hug. Damon simply smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. After one last look into the bluest eyes he was sure he'd ever see, Alaric finally turned away and joined Isobel in the car, ready to face their future.


	2. Chapter 2

The Mystic Grill was always busy on a Friday night. There were hordes of teenagers mingling about, laughing, flirting or playing pool in the corner. Couples had dinner, friends met for drinks and mayor Lockwood made Smalltalk with some of the wealthier patrons. 

Damon Salvatore didn't notice any of that. He was sitting at the bar, getting drunk, like he mostly did those last few days. The fact that Katherine had played him for a fool for 145 years, that she had obviously never loved him, never really meant to spend eternity by his side, still hurt. But the initial pain was slowly lessening. During the last few days he had gone from hurt, to furious, to depressed. Now he just felt resigned.

Since turning into a vampire Damon had only known one goal: Open the tomb and free Katherine. Well, at least he had managed to open the tomb. That was some sort of success, right? He hadn't gotten his happy ending, but at least he hadn't completely failed. 

Unfortunately that also meant that instead of Katherine, 26 pissed off vampires were now roaming the town. His town. Damon was no hero by far, but still he felt the urge to protect Mystic Falls from those vampires. Sheriff Forbes and those fools from the founder's council would be eternally grateful if he did. 

And to be quite honest, he had nowhere else to go. Now that he had given up every hope of ever seeing Katherine again, he had nothing left. Nothing but his brother. And Stefan wanted to stay here, which was all the more reason to protect the town.

Well, he could also continue to pursue Elena, but that idea didn't appeal too much. He had never really been interested in the girl. She might look like Katherine, but she was a completely different person. She was way too nice and boring for his liking. More his brother's thing. She lacked the fire he had always admired in Katherine. 

And to top it off, she had decided to save him now. To turn him into a better person. Which was almost as annoying as the fact that ever since the tomb incident she kept trying to comfort him and get him to open up about his feelings. And flirting with her to rile up Stefan was getting boring as well.

The dark-haired vampire ordered another glass of bourbon, just as he noticed someone sitting down next to him. Rolling his eyes in annoyance he turned to snark at that person, expecting to see either Stefan or Elena, coming to pity him yet again. 

But the words died in his throat when he saw the man sitting there. For a moment he just stared at the blond in disbelief.   
"Ric?" 

The younger vampire grinned. "You remember me. I feel honored." he murmured, ordering a bourbon for himself.   
"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, still in shock over the sudden appearance.

"I'm the new history teacher, believe it or not." was the quick answer.   
"You're kidding me." 

On the other hand it was fitting somehow. Damon remembered how obsessed Ric had been with history. He remembered their talks about the civil war. And he remembered something else. "What about Isobel?" he asked, although, truth be told, he had no desire to see her again. 

Alaric's face darkened for a moment. "Haven't seen her in a while." he admitted, taking a big gulp of his drink.

The dark-haired vampire gave him a curious look, so he put his glass down with a sigh and started explaining:   
"We just drove around aimlessly for a few month. I had thought she'd be happy, after turning. It was what she had wanted so much. What she had dreamed of. But she seemed more restless than ever before. And then we met this other vampire. Not exactly a chance meeting, as I learned later. Her name was Katherine Pierce."

This gave Damon pause. Alaric nodded grimly. "Your Katherine, yes. But I only learned that later as well." He took another gulp of his drink, staring off into space. "She claimed to be an ancestor of Isobel. No idea whether that's true or not. But Isobel was totally fascinated by her. They got along great. I was always a bit of a fifth wheel, to be honest. I didn't really mind at first. At least not so much. Isobel seemed ... happier, more at ease. At least for a while."

He downed the rest of his drink, ordered another. Damon shook his head and asked for the bottle. He had a feeling they were gonna need it. "So what happened?" he wanted to know. 

"Katherine introduced us to a witch named Lucy. She made daylight rings for us." Alaric told him, showing off his ring.   
Damon rolled his eyes and gave him a pointed look. 

"We found this large, abandoned house and had planned to stay there for a while. One day Isobel asked me to get blood-bags. I was happy to comply, since she usually didn't like them much. Katherine insisted that I drive to a blood bank in the next state. To make sure that no-one catches me. I thought she was being paranoid, but I didn't argue. She's older, so I thought she probably knew better."

Again he stopped, staring at his glass. The dark-haired vampire could already imagine the rest of the story. 

"When I came back the next day the house was empty. At first I told myself they had just gone out. Shopping or whatever, you know? We finally had daylight-rings, so I thought Isobel would make the most of it. I put the blood-bags in the freezer and waited. But when they hadn't returned by nightfall I got restless and searched the house. Their stuff was gone. It was then that I realized I wouldn't see her again. Two days later a letter arrived by mail. It was from Isobel. She wrote: I'm sorry. Goodbye. Nothing more." Alaric finally ended.

"I'm sorry." Damon murmured. "I can relate, if it's any consolation. I waited 145 years for Katherine. Did everything I could to open the damn tomb. Only to find out that she'd never been in it. That she had been free all the time and just didn't want to see me." 

Alaric nodded. "I know. She discussed it with Isobel. Guess they thought I wouldn't eavesdrop." He snorted. "Is should've known better. I hacked her laptop to find out that she wanted you to turn her. What's a little eavesdropping compared to that? Especially with vampire hearing."

"What did she say about me?" Damon wanted to know. Alaric gave him a doubtful look, but he assured that he could handle the truth. He was pretty sure he could already guess. He wasn't kidding himself any longer. 

"She said she never loved you. That she knew where you were all the time. She didn't want to see you again. And... she was the one who initiated the vampire hunt back then. From what I gathered she's been running from a very old vampire for hundreds of years. She wanted to fake her own death. You and your brother were merely... collateral damage."

Okay, that last particular detail was surprising. He'd never known that Katherine was on the run. But the rest he had already guessed. She had played him for a fool. She had never loved him. 

"I've been kidding myself, too. I turned into a vampire so I wouldn't lose Isobel, but I had already lost her. I just didn't realize it. I have no idea what she really wanted. Whatever it was, I couldn't give it to her."

For long moments both remained silent.   
"What brought you to Mystic Falls?" Damon eventually spoke up again.   
Alaric hesitated. "The truth? I thought coming here I would sooner or later find either Isobel ... or you." he admitted. 

The dark-haired vampire smirked, surprised how glad he was to see Alaric again. Isobel he had turned on a whim. She had kept begging him and he'd been bored, so he had agreed to do it. With Ric it had been different. He had understood his motives. They had a lot in common. 

"And are you disappointed that you found me and not her?" he asked.   
"Not at all." Ric replied without hesitation, meeting Damon's smile with one of his own.

"Wanna see my house? It's huge, the library is beautiful and my bourbon is better than this stuff." Okay, so that wasn't really subtle. But why should he try for subtle, considering their history? They were no shy teenagers or pretending to be shy teenagers like his baby bro.   
Alaric seemed to agree, because he grinned. "Sure, let's go."   
Damon threw some cash onto the counter and they left the Grill together.

***

"And what are you planning to do now?" Alaric asked a few hours later.   
Damon had shown him the library, they'd had another round of drinks and talked a bit more. The dark-haired vampire had told Ric about the founders council, the open tomb and the 26 pissed off vampires. In turn he had heard about Alaric's travels. The following tour of the house had found an abrupt ending in Damon's bedroom. Now they were lying in Damon's bed, both naked and quite content.

Damon shrugged. "I'll stay here, I think. At least for now. Mystic Falls has always been my home. I've gained the trust of the council and my brother is here. But I guess I'll have to get rid of those annoying tomb-vampires, if they keep stirring up trouble. Which is sure to get me more bonus points with the council." he mused, before asking Ric what his plans were. 

"I've decided to stay as well. Teaching is more fun than I had anticipated and I like it here." the teacher explained. "And... ever since Isobel left me I've been looking for a new... purpose in un-life, I guess." he added a little sheepishly.

"Protecting Mystic Falls from evil tomb-vampires is a good purpose. I could use some help, truth be told. My brother certainly isn't going to be much of a help." Damon pointed out after a moment's thought. 

"I would be quite some help." Alaric assured. "I actually... killed a few vampires over the past year." he admitted quietly. The older vampire looked interested at that. "When I asked you to turn me, I didn't have much of an idea what I was getting into. I did it for Isobel. You know that. So I was and sometimes am still shocked at what I've become. And I'm even more shocked by the gruesome things some vampires are capable of."

"So you turned into Buffy? Or would that be Angel?" Damon joked, coaxing a bark of laughter from Ric.   
"Something like that, I'm afraid. But honestly, I just.. wanted some sort of... justification for my existence, I guess. So whenever I noticed a vampire acting cruelly, butchering a lot of people and the like... I stopped him. Or her." He looked at the older vampire hesitantly, not sure how his confession would be received. 

"I've killed my share of other vampires, too. Okay, I guess mostly my motives weren't quite as noble as yours, but the outcome is the same. I don't even know what my motives are this time. Maybe I want to protect Mystic Falls, because this is my town. My home. Vampires can be quite territorial. Or maybe there are actually a few choice humans here I might care about. I don't know." He shrugged. Hadn't really given it much thought yet. "I could really use your help. But you need to know that we're up against vampires who are by far older and stronger than you."

"Don't worry. I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve." Ric assured. When Damon gave him a curious look he grinned and offered: "Visit me within the next few days. I'll show you my weapons. It's quite an arsenal." 

Damon smirked. "Sounds like a plan." he agreed. Again they were silent for a while, before he asked: "What about human victims? Did you...?" He remembered how much it had pained Ric to kill and he couldn't imagine things being much different now.   
"Once. Shortly after Isobel left. Two or three times it was a near thing. I stick to blood-bags as much as possible."

"I've mostly switched to blood-bags too. I want to stay here, so it's better to act inconspicuous." Damon told him, choosing not to mention how often he had killed. He didn't want Alaric to think bad of him, for reasons he didn't want to analyze. 

"Isobel killed often. I think she just didn't care. She didn't like it when I accompanied her on a hunt. Guess my preaching grated on her nerves." Ric said with a snort.   
Damon only nodded. He had known pretty soon what kind of vampire Isobel would become. But he didn't want the teacher to know.

"Doesn't really matter, now." the blond claimed suddenly. "She chose her path and I chose mine. I had to learn that the hard way. It's time to move on and let go of the past. Let go of her." he decided. 

"Sounds like a plan." Damon agreed and decided to move on as well. Okay, so Katherine had only toyed with him. He'd never really stood a chance with her. He knew that now. And while that knowledge hurt, it was sort of freeing as well. For over a hundred years he hadn't dared to get close to someone, because there was always Katherine waiting for him. At least now he was free.

Because he was sure that he stood a chance with Alaric. And why shouldn't he take that chance? Why not at least give it a try? They had so much in common. Ric understood him like no-one else could. He'd been betrayed in much the same way. And in contrast to Katherine he was completely faithful. He wouldn't break Damon's heart, like Katherine had done. He wouldn't abandon him.

"Let's move on, then." Damon whispered finally, moving closer.   
"Yeah, let's move on." Alaric agreed with a smile, leaning over to kiss him.   
"Are you staying?" the older vampire asked, once their lips had parted.   
"Definitely." the teacher agreed, pushing him down on the mattress and claiming his lips in another, passionate kiss.

***

It didn't feel all that strange to wake up in Alaric's arms next morning. It wasn't the first time, after all. While Isobel had always slipped out of bed quickly, to wander restlessly through the house, Ric had enjoyed sleeping in or cuddling with Damon, once he'd found out that the older vampire wouldn't mock him for it.

They stayed in bed for a while longer, not talking much, just enjoying the early morning quiet and the rare feeling of having someone close. Alaric started drawing invisible symbols on Damon's naked skin with his fingers, until the dark-haired vampire was practically purring and finally pulled him into the shower. They spent long minutes touching and tasting and then brought each other off, before making sure the other really was clean.

When they finally emerged from the bathroom, both only with towels slung around their hips, the door opened and Stefan barged in.   
"Damon? I just wanted to..." 

But they never heard what he wanted, because once he spied them he broke off, staring at them with wide eyes. "Mr. Saltzman?" he whispered in disbelief. 

"Good morning, Stefan." Alaric greeted with a smile, trying to hide his awkwardness at the situation. He was all too aware that he was standing practically naked in front of a student. After having sex with said students brother.

Damon seemed immune to awkwardness, because he asked in an annoyed tone what Stefan wanted now, while dropping the towel and strutting naked to the wardrobe.   
Stefan frowned and seemed unable to decide where to look. In the end he stared at the floor. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." he mumbled, glancing in Alaric's direction for a second. 

"I'm fine, baby bro. I've told you 100 times that I'm fine. I won't kill innocent humans and I won't do anything stupid. Promise."

The younger Salvatore regarded him with raised eyebrows, looking pointedly at Alaric and back at his brother.   
"What? Am I not allowed to spend the night with an old friend? I thought you'd prefer that option to me picking up some frat girl. Or hitting on your pretty girlfriend." the older one snarked. 

For once Stefan didn't take the bait and chose to ignore the jibe about Elena. "Old friend?" he prodded instead.   
"Damon and I met about two years ago." the teacher explained willingly.   
"Long story. Lots of dirty details. None of your business." Damon added, starting to get dressed.

"Anything else? Are you waiting for a show or...?" he snapped then, since Stefan continued to stand there and gape.   
Hesitantly the younger Salvatore turned on his heel and left, muttering under his breath. 

Alaric sighed in relief and got dressed as well. "What's up with Elena anyways?" he asked.   
"She's Stefan's little girlfriend. They're all lovey-dovey." 

Ric rolled his eyes. "She looks like Katherine. Exactly like Katherine. They could be twins." he pointed out. "I got a total shock upon seeing her the first time. I actually thought she was Katherine, but she showed no sign of recognizing me. So I started doing some research, looking at her birth certificate, hospital records, old photos and stuff." he admitted.

"Yeah, threw me as well at first." Damon had to admit. "I've got no idea why she looks like Katherine. Though it's really only the looks, believe me. Stefan found out that she was adopted. Guess she's a descendant of Katherine." 

The teacher still looked doubtful, but refrained from asking further question. Finally dressed he followed Damon down to the basement, where they fetched blood-bags from a hidden freezer, before going back up to the kitchen.

Only minutes later Stefan entered the kitchen, stopped and once again stared at Ric in shock. "Mr. Saltzman? You.. you're a vampire." he pointed out unnecessarily.   
"Well spotted." Alaric said with a grin, putting the empty blood-bag aside. 

Damon put it into the trash and clapped the teacher on the back. "Come on, you wanted to show me your weapons, remember?" he reminded.   
"Yeah, right. Let's go." Alaric agreed. "Bye Stefan. I guess I'll see you Monday at school."   
The younger Salvatore only nodded dumbly, staring after them as they left the house.

"It's so cute how he keeps calling you Mr. Saltzman." Damon joked.   
"Hey, I'm his teacher. He needs to show a little respect."   
The dark-haired vampire nodded. "Well, Stefan always showed a lot of respect to authority figures. But don't ever put him in detention. He's completely unbearable when he's pouting." he claimed, making Ric chuckle.   
"I'll bear it in mind." he promised. They exchanged a quick look, both grinning widely. "Okay, let's head to my place, so I can show you my weapons."

"Only your weapons?" Damon asked, blinking innocently.   
"Maybe I'll show you some other things as well." Alaric mused, playing along. 

Damon grinned. He hadn't really thought he'd ever see Ric again. Hadn't even thought about him much, to be honest. But now he was glad that fate had brought them back together. Only a day ago he'd been a depressed wreck. No other way of putting it. Now the future suddenly looked a lot brighter. Maybe that thing with Ric would lead nowhere. Maybe they'd go their separate ways again soon. But maybe they could be good for each other. Only time would tell. For now he was happy that at least he wasn't alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments would be lovely.


End file.
